LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Britain said on Sunday discussions with other NATO members on deterring Russian activity in the Arctic were “business as usual”, after media reports the UK was in talks with its European allies about deploying a military force to Greenland.
The Telegraph reported on Saturday that military chiefs from Britain and other European countries were drawing up plans for a possible NATO mission in Greenland, which U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wanted to acquire.
The newspaper said British officials had begun early-stage talks with Germany, France and others on plans that could involve deploying British troops, warships and aircraft to protect Greenland from Russia and China.
British transport minister Heidi Alexander, asked on Sky News whether Britain was discussing troop deployments, said talks on how to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Arctic were “business as usual”.
“It’s becoming an increasingly contested geopolitical region, with Russia and China … you would expect us to be talking to all our allies in NATO about what we can do to deter Russian aggression in the Arctic Circle,” Alexander said.
Asked about the Telegraph report, a government spokesperson said Britain was “committed to working with NATO allies to strengthen NATO’s Arctic deterrence and defence”.
Trump has said the U.S. must own Greenland, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, to prevent Russia or China occupying the strategically located and minerals-rich territory in the future, arguing U.S. military presence there was not enough.
Bloomberg News reported on Sunday that a group of European countries, led by Britain and Germany, is discussing plans to boost their military presence in Greenland.
Citing people familiar with the plans, the report said Germany will propose setting up a joint NATO mission to protect the Arctic region.
The Financial Times reported on Sunday that Nordic diplomats rejected Trump’s claims of Russian and Chinese vessels operating near Greenland.
Trump has not provided any evidence to back up his claims, which Denmark disputes. Vessel tracking data from MarineTraffic and LSEG show no Chinese or Russian ship presence near Greenland.
The Telegraph reported that European nations hoped a stronger military presence in the Arctic would convince Trump to drop his plans to seize the island.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Additional reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Ros Russell)
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